Word to the Wise
Tuesday, November 28, 2023 - Tuesday in the 34th Week in Ordinary Time
[Dan 2:31-45 and Luke 21:5-11]While some people were speaking about how the temple was adorned with costly stones and votive offerings, Jesus said, "All that you see here - the days will come when there will not be left a stone upon a stone that will not be thrown down." [Luke]
The evangelist Luke composed his gospel after the destruction of Jerusalem by the Roman army in 70 A.D.. What would have seemed unbelievable to the Jewish people had happened. The temple was completely destroyed. The center of the Jewish universe - the house and residence of God - was gone! It would be as if, in our time, the Vatican and St. Peter's Basilica had been leveled. The power of symbols is great indeed, especially when the symbol is equated with the faith that gives it power!!! Although Luke wrote for a mixed community of Jews and Gentile converts, the loss of Jerusalem was seen as a possible sign of the end of times. Luke quotes Jesus as predicting the end of the temple and warning the disciples that such would not be the end of time. In fact, many of the "signs" that people then and now associate with the end of time would be unreliable. Apocalyptic imagery can be disturbing and lead people astray from the primary task of missionary proclamation.
Despite Jesus' warnings that the precise time of his return could not be predicted, history is replete with those who believed they had discovered the date and gathered to await his arrival, only to be very disappointed. I can recall the publication in 1970 of the book, THE LATE GREAT PLANET EARTH, that had all kinds of people worried and excited.
The gospels are consistent in telling us to live a life that is essentially a life of preparation to meet the Lord, whether at the time of our earthly death or at the end of time. This means a "missionary life" that proclaims the teaching of God's plan of salvation in Jesus Christ. If we are living such a life, we have no need to worry about being surprised because, as the Gospel According to John tells us, our faith is already a participation in eternal life. AMEN